Biopersistence rate of metallic nanoparticles in the gastro-intestinal human tract (stage 0 of the EFSA guidance for nanomaterials risk assessment)

María Vanesa Taboada-López; Gemma Vázquez-Expósito; Raquel Domínguez-González; Paloma Herbello-Hermelo; Pilar Bermejo-Barrera; Antonio Moreda-Piñeiro

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130002

Biopersistence rate of metallic nanoparticles in the gastro-intestinal human tract (stage 0 of the EFSA guidance for nanomaterials risk assessment)

Food Chem. 2021 Oct 30:360:130002. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130002. Epub 2021 May 5.

Authors

María Vanesa Taboada-López¹, Gemma Vázquez-Expósito¹, Raquel Domínguez-González¹, Paloma Herbello-Hermelo¹, Pilar Bermejo-Barrera¹, Antonio Moreda-Piñeiro²

Affiliations

¹ Trace Elements, Spectroscopy and Speciation Group (GETEE), Strategic Grouping in Materials (AEMAT), Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Bromatology, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias, s/n., 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
² Trace Elements, Spectroscopy and Speciation Group (GETEE), Strategic Grouping in Materials (AEMAT), Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Bromatology, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias, s/n., 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: antonio.moreda@usc.es.

PMID: 33975071
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130002

Abstract

The European Food Safety Authority has published a guidance regarding risk assessment of nanomaterials in food and feed. Following these recommendations, an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion has been applied to study the biopersistence of TiO₂ and Ag NPs in standards, molluscs and surimi. TiO₂ NPs standards and TiO₂ NPs/ TiO₂ microparticles from E171 were not found to be degraded. Ag NPs proved to be more degradable than TiO₂ NPs, but the biopersistence rates were higher than 12%, which means that Ag NPs are also biopersistent. Findings for seafood are quite similar to those obtained for TiO₂ NPs and Ag NPs standards, although the calculation of the biopersistence rate proposed by the EFSA was not found to be straightforward for foodstuff (the use of the NPs concentration in the sample instead of the NPs concentration at initial time (sample mixed with the gastric solution before enzymatic hydrolysis) has been proposed.

Keywords: Ag nanoparticles; Biopersistence; EFSA guidance; In vitro gastrointestinal digestion; Seafood; TiO(2) nanoparticles.

MeSH terms

Humans
Hydrolysis
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
Metal Nanoparticles / toxicity
Risk Assessment
Silver / chemistry*
Titanium / chemistry*

Substances

titanium dioxide
Silver
Titanium